Bognor water level
River gauge, Aldingbourne Rife, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Surface elevation
History
20252026
What this means
At −0.23 m, the Aldingbourne Rife at Bognor is below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is −0.05 m, based on 14 years of readings, so the river level is 0.18 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was −0.09 m, a difference of −0.14 m.
The level is falling, down 0.06 m over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between −0.31 m and −0.01 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- −0.05 m0.18 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- −0.23 m – 0.30 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (14 years of records)
- Normal range
- −0.55 m – 1.25 m
- Same day last year
- −0.09 m−0.14 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- −0.31 m – −0.01 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- −0.21 m – 1.06 m
- Highest on record
- 1.14 mFebruary 15, 2014
- Lowest on record
- −0.57 mApril 24, 2016
On the river at Bognor
Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.
Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 4.9 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chichester Tozer WayRiver gauge, River Lavant | 12.68 m | Very low | +0.03 m | 8.4 km |
| GraylingwellRiver gauge, River Lavant | −0.03 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 9.0 km |
| ArundelRiver gauge, River Arun | 0.68 m | Normal | −0.56 m | 10 km |
| Bosham Moreton RoadRiver gauge, Bosham Stream | 0.21 m | Normal | ±0 | 14 km |
| Houghton BridgeRiver gauge, River Arun | 0.35 m | Lowest on record | −0.47 m | 14 km |
| Ferring OutfallRiver gauge, River Arun | −3.45 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 15 km |
| HardhamRiver gauge, River Rother | 0.23 m | Normal | ±0 | 20 km |
| WestbourneRiver gauge, River Ems | 0.05 m | Low | ±0 | 20 km |
Questions and answers
Is the Aldingbourne Rife at Bognor higher than last year?
No, it is 0.14 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was −0.09 m.
What is a normal level for the Aldingbourne Rife at Bognor in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is −0.05 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between −0.23 m and 0.30 m, based on 14 years of records.
Is Bognor really −0.23 m deep?
No. −0.23 m is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.
What is the water level of Bognor today?
On 19 Oct 2026, 04:30 BST, the surface elevation was −0.23 m. Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours.
Is Bognor rising or falling?
Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.17 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Bognor normal?
Low for mid-October. Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Bognor?
The highest level on record is 1.14 m on February 15, 2014. The lowest is −0.57 m on April 24, 2016.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:E10943(Agency page)- Coordinates
50.79746, -0.66790(WGS84)- Vertical datum
- ODN
- Update interval
- every 15 minutes
- Licence
- Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Published series
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface elevation | −0.23 m | 2026-10-19 03:30 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Bognor (ea:E10943). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/west-sussex/bognor
How we check values
Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.
Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer